The Warriors have won four games in a row, tying their longest streak of the season. It’s been far longer since anyone dealt a loss to the Lions, who last fell to Gainesville exactly a year ago in the semifinals.

Oconee County has won its previous two games by a combined two goals in regulation and needed penalty kicks to advance out of the quarterfinals. St. Pius X has outscored opponents 13-0 in that same stretch.

Yet the Warriors like their odds just fine.

“We think we can win this game,” Oconee County striker Luke Heintzman said. “We’re not going into it expecting to lose. We’re going to give it our best shot and try to win. We didn’t make it to the final four by luck. It was hard work and skill that got us here, and if it got us this far, it can carry us to the state championship game to win it all.”

The teams will meet tonight at 7:30 p.m. at St. Pius X in Atlanta with a trip to the state championship game — and hosting rights — on the line.

If the rest of the Class AAA bracket is any indication, underdogs are coming up as overachievers this season.

Of the four remaining teams, including No. 4 East Hall and No. 7 Woodward Academy, only St. Pius X is a top seed out of its respective region. East Hall and Woodward Academy are No. 3 seeds, and Oconee County finished runner-up to North Oconee in Region 8-AAA.

Oconee County has also had what coach Colin Connors said he believes has been the toughest path to this point. The Warriors defeated unranked Coahulla Creek 5-1 in the first round but had to upset No. 2 West Hall 2-0 in the second round and needed penalty kicks to edge No. 6 Savannah Arts 4-3 in the quarterfinals.

The challenges have only made the Warriors sharper, Connors said.

“We have had the toughest road, but a lot of times that can work in your favor as it gets you playing at a high level. You just have to maintain that,” Connors said. “Sometimes if you play someone easy, you can get into some bad habits and it doesn’t expose some of the weaknesses you need to work on.

“But all year I think we played tough competition and I feel we played the toughest schedule of anyone in the state with some great Class AAAAA and AAAAAA teams and with all the area rivals we have, like Clarke Central.”

That calendar and the difficult postseason path have honed the Warriors’ skills, and Heintzman said the Warriors have never played better.

“Coach Connors has said we’ve been working up the whole season to peak at the right time,” Heintzman, who has 16 goals and 17 assists, said. “And we’re playing our best soccer right now. Me and [teammate Chase Cane] are connecting well up top, our defense is playing well, our midfield is moving the ball up. We’re playing well everywhere, which is why we’re having the success we have had in the playoffs.”

Between the Warriors’ giant-slaying playoff run and mounting confidence, St. Pius X may have few clear advantages, Heintzman said. Even playing on the Lions’ home field isn’t expected to affect the Warriors much.

“I think it doesn’t even matter where we play,” Heintzman said. “We’ve been throughout the season playing better on the road anyway, so if anything, that could play into our advantage. We won the two biggest games of the playoffs on the road already and now we’re going for the trifecta.”